HP Oddities - SSS: Strange Soapy Science :)

[Kcryss]

It's official. I'm never using vinegar and CA in the same batch again. My very very long cook times are down to under 30 minutes with no CA. So, at least for now, I've decided the combination of vinegar and CA was the culprit.

Everything was going along great. The soap cooked in just under 30 minutes, then everything went nuts ...
Took the crock out of the pot to cool. Turned around and washed a couple of soaping dishes, turned back around and the batter was volcanoing! It was already done ... vaseline, no zap ... done ... and it decided to volcano. Stirred it down, checked the temp ... still at 200.

Finally when it was down to 165, I added my slightly warmed yogurt and aloe mixture. Everything looked fine. Batter was nice and fluid as usual.

Then I added the aloe, coconut milk, shea. I always combine these 3 and warm to at least 150 before adding. As soon as I started stirring it in, the batter started to thicken and basically turned into soap right then and there in the crockpot! I couldn't believe it. I added some hot water, but it just kept getting worse.

I was planning on doing a 3 color swirl for the challenge ... that didn't even come close to happening.

I finally put on rubber gloves and kneaded it like bread dough. At this point it was still 140 degrees. Added the colors, played with it a bit more and then squished it into the mold.

Is this the equivalent of seizing in CP? Does anyone know why on earth it would suddenly harden like that when it's still 150 degrees?

 

[AliOop]

Did you use any particular FO or EO with this? Anything like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg? Those will all heat up the batter.

 

[Kcryss]

Did you use any particular FO or EO with this? Anything like cinnamon, clove, nutmeg? Those will all heat up the batter.

lol, sadly I didn't even get that far. I always do that last and everything happened so quickly that I was just trying to get it into the mold. Based on how it looked as play-doh, it might come out a bit marbled looking ... too bad it will be unscented.

 

[Arimara]

I've never had that happen to me at all. I'm also not sure if your soap would now have a very high likelihood of developing mold given when you added your additives (unless I am not understanding when you added the CM and AVJ, reading is no longer an easy thing for me). Maybe you should make some plain jane soap for a little bit and experiment with one additive at a time?

 

[Kcryss]

I've never had that happen to me at all. I'm also not sure if your soap would now have a very high likelihood of developing mold given when you added your additives (unless I am not understanding when you added the CM and AVJ, reading is no longer an easy thing for me). Maybe you should make some plain jane soap for a little bit and experiment with one additive at a time?

I've never had that happen to me before either. This was a first for sure. I always add them after the cook and everything is always about the same temp. The whole thing was really strange and very unexpected.

 

[cmzaha]

Oh my goodness. Maybe you should stay away from CA and Vinegar
and stick to SG for chelating. On the plus side you cut down on the cook time.

 

[szaza]

Wow this never happened to me.. I had some batter get a bit less fluid than other batter when adding eo's (blood orange and patchouli, I added cinnamon to another part of that soap and it was way more fluid) but it was only a slight difference. No play dough. I do agree with @Arimara that it might be a good idea to start with some really simple soap and build up the additives to see which is causing it.

 

[Kcryss]

Oh my goodness. Maybe you should stay away from CA and Vinegar
and stick to SG for chelating. On the plus side you cut down on the cook time.

Haha, very true. I did add the Aloe back in on this batch so maybe that was it ... too much aloe.

Edit: Yes, I agree with the CA/Vinegar. I didn't add the CA to this batch and plan to never use it again.

 

[Kcryss]

Wow this never happened to me.. I had some batter get a bit less fluid than other batter when adding eo's (blood orange and patchouli, I added cinnamon to another part of that soap and it was way more fluid) but it was only a slight difference. No play dough. I do agree with @Arimara that it might be a good idea to start with some really simple soap and build up the additives to see which is causing it.

Yeah, looks like I need to go back to not using Aloe and vinegar in the lye water. The one batch I did with just the SG worked perfect and very very fast. I really wanted to vinegar to work on this batch though because it didn't have any tallow. Lard/RBO/CO/CB/Castor.

Here's the cut, looks pretty cool but the colors didn't come through very well after kneading like bread dough. lol
I used the hibiscus colored clay and red moroccan clay. The red clay is like a dark brick red this morning, but the hibiscus is brown. Still looks pretty cool, but would have been nice to get the hibiscus color.

 

[szaza]

That's gorgeous soap and I actually really love the colors

 

[Kcryss]

That's gorgeous soap and I actually really love the colors

Thanks! I like it as well.

 

[cmzaha]

I also love the colors.

 

[dibbles]

Good save! The marbled effect is beautiful.

 

[Kcryss]

Good save! The marbled effect is beautiful.

Thanks!

 

[Jersey Girl]

Whatever happened, I think the result is very cool. Looks like a marble countertop! Nice!

 

[GML]

Looks a little bit like cinnamon bread...now I'm hungry.

 

[Kcryss]

Whatever happened, I think the result is very cool. Looks like a marble countertop! Nice!

Thanks! Actually thinking of a way to do it again on purpose. lol

 

[Kcryss]

Looks a little bit like cinnamon bread...now I'm hungry.

I love cinnamon bread! Now I'm hungry too! lol

 

[Sally Scheibner]

lol, sadly I didn't even get that far. I always do that last and everything happened so quickly that I was just trying to get it into the mold. Based on how it looked as play-doh, it might come out a bit marbled looking ... too bad it will be unscented.

 

[Sally Scheibner]

I’ve been experimenting w/HP and find I have to stay below 160’ so it doesn’t cook too fast. My first time using sodium lactate and WHAT a difference in fluidity! When I checked temps after 30” it was at 170’. Left to cool to 155 slloowly warmed & added yogurt, coconut cream & half n half; still fluid. I was thrilled. Added EOs pink grapefruit, mandarin & Nurture’s EO blend grapefruit Bergamot, it went nicely. Divided it, added lime, yellow & pink micas and swirled it. First time for my HP behaving so beautifully